First Marriage: Vincent Lee Hillyer
In August 1948, after the death of her father Reza Shah, Fatemeh Pahlavi married Vincent Lee Hillyer, an American journalist. This union produced three children: a daughter named Rana and two sons, Keyvan and Dariush Pahlavi Hillyer. However, the marriage was controversial in Iran for several reasons. Firstly, the marriage of a Muslim woman to a non-Muslim man was prohibited. Secondly, Iranian law required prior government permission for an Iranian woman to marry a foreign citizen. Despite Vincent Hillyer converting to Islam and changing his name to Ali, these legal and religious transgressions led to Fatemeh being stripped of her royal privileges.
Controversy and Political Implications
The royal court was not pleased with Fatemeh’s marriage to Hillyer, particularly due to the timing. Their wedding celebration in Paris coincided with a period of public mourning in Iran for Reza Shah. This clash garnered significant media attention, overshadowing the mourning period and weakening the Shah’s position amid the nationalization of Iran’s oil industry. Despite these controversies, Fatemeh and Ali Hillyer were eventually allowed to return to Iran in February 1954 and received a surprisingly warm welcome.